Microsoft EDIT-80

[Fred Weigel]

I have worked with Microsoft BASIC, MACRO, FORTRAN etc. From the late 70s and on. Back in 82 or 83 I started using MACRO, and it had mention of EDIT-80 in the manual. I have never seen it. I *think* it is a mythical thing.

Has anyone ever seen EDIT-80?

FredW

[higgin...@gmail.com]

A real copy (disk and manual) of Microsoft CP/M EDIT-80 is currently listed on eBay - item # 193088299958

[Martin]

No, there is *NOTHING* special with it.
It just was a *flop*.

The problem with it:
It was too late.
It was a line editor.
It added line numbers to the text.
It used an incompatible file format.
It was expensive.

It was bundled with "FILCOM", which
also didn't help, since early versions
were extremely buggy.


I have found versions of it.


A>edit-80
File: $
Creating
Version 1.0
AMC Editor
50531 Bytes free
*Q


A>type alpha.txt
ALPHA .TXT
FILE A

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

A>type beta.txt
BETA .TXT
FILE B

A
B
C
G
H
I
J
1
2
3
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
4
5
W
X
Y
Z

A>filcom tty:=alpha.txt,beta.txt


---@:ALPHA TXT
FILE A

A


---@:BETA TXT
FILE B

A


---@:ALPHA TXT
D
E
F
G


---@:BETA TXT
G


---@:ALPHA TXT
K
L
M
N


---@:BETA TXT
1
2
3
N


---@:ALPHA TXT
W


---@:BETA TXT
4
5
W

=====

A detailed review:
INTERFACE ACE JULY 1979
EDIT-80: Microsoft's System Editor for CP/M
Review by Alan R. Miller, Software Editor

A brochure short enough to include it here.


=====
EDIT-8O Text Editor

EDIT-80 is a random access, line oriented
text editor similar to those used on large
computers like the DEC PDP-10 and IBM
360. It may be used on any 8080 or Z-80
microcomputer system running the CP/M®
operating system. While it supports a full
range of editing capabilities, EDIT-80 is still
fast and easy to use. You will find it versatile
enough to meet the most demanding text
editing requirements.

Microsoft's MACR0-80 assembler and
FORTRAN-80 compiler print listings and
error messages with EDIT-80 line num-
bers, giving the user quick reference to
source lines.

In addition to commands that insert, delete,
print and replace lines of text. EDIT-80 offers
the following features:

o Alter Mode
Alter (or intraline) mode provides a full set
of intraline subcommands to edit portions
of individual lines. These subcommands
give the user more extensive editing capa-
bilities than those provided with the EDIT
command in Microsoft BASIC.
o Numbering
Use the Number command to renumber an
entire file or just parts of a file. Handy when
"making room" for an insertion or just
organizing line numbers in a file.
o Multiple-page Files
If desired EDIT-80 files may be divided into
sections called "pages". Page divisions
mean easy handling of large files (line
numbers may be reused on different
pages) or convenient markers for the
logical subdivisions in a file.
o Find and Substitute
Specified text is efficiently located or
replaced with EDIT-80's global Find
and Substitute commands.
o File Parameters
EDIT-80 can be used to edit BASIC
programs without EDIT-80 line numbers,
and files may be output with or without
line numbers.

Summary of
EDIT-8O Commands

Alter . . . . . Enters Alter mode
Begin . . . . . Moves to the beginning of
a page
Delete . . . . Deletes lines
Exit. . . . . . Writes text to disk and exits
EDIT-80
Find . . . . . Finds text
Insert . . . . Inserts lines
Kill . . . . . Deletes page marks
List . . . . . Prints lines at the line printer
Mark . . . . . Inserts a page mark
Number . . . . Renumbers lines
Print . . . . . Prints lines at the console
Quit . . . . . Exits the editor without
writing text to disk
Replace . . . . Replaces lines
Substitute . . Finds and replaces text
Write . . . . . Writes text to disk
Extend . . . . Allows extension of lines


FILCOM

The EDIT-80 package includes a file
compare utility called FILCOM. FILCOM
compares two files and outputs differences
between them. Source files or binary files
may be compared using FILCOM.



EDIT-80 $120.00
(includes EDIT-80 Text Editor
and FILCOM File Compare Utility
supplied on single density, 8"
CP/M® diskette, with manual)

EDIT-80, manual only $ 10.00

====

[Martin]

This trick doesn't work here ...

[Fred Weigel]

Martin

Great! So, EDIT-80 and FILCOM are not mythical -- you ACTUALLY HAVE THEM!

Can you post them somewhere? Or, email to me - fred_...@hotmail.com would do.

I have the manual -- and I really don't intend on using these -- but, that would complete my "Microsoft CP/M-80" collection.

FredW

[higgin...@gmail.com]

On Monday, May 11, 2020 at 9:41:37 PM UTC-7, Martin wrote:

> This trick doesn't work here ...

Sorry - should have added that I am not associated in any way with that auction. My point was simply to show EDIT-80 was an actual product.

Though the manual for EDIT-80 has been posted to several web sites, I have not found the software posted to any of the usual "abandonware" repositories.

[Martin]

I have them, is not the right word.
I found them,


EDIT-80:
Version 2.02. BUT, they changed: "CP/M" --> "PC/M"

<https://www.iee.et.tu-dresden.de/~kc-club/DOWNLOAD/DISK401/EDIT80.COM>

Documantation (in german only):
<https://www.iee.et.tu-dresden.de/~kc-club/DOWNLOAD/DISK262/EDIT80.DOC>

FILCOM:
In rlee peters cp/m archive: /L/LOOSECPM/261/FILCOM.COM



I just couldn't work out the meaning of the switches.
By looking through the code (btw: very bad), I got this.

FILCOM switches:

/L: turn on, default off

/A: turn on, default off
/B: turn on, default off

/S: toggle, default on
/C: toggle, default off
(/C going off forces /S on)

/1-9: set, default 3


But whatever sensible combinations I tried, just errors.
Any additional information would be great.


Hth Martin

[Martin]

Another filcom inside:
http://www.bitsavers.org/bits/AMD/AM29/AMD29.IMD


P.S.:
If you think about sharing your manual.
Bitsavers would be a great home for it :-)

[Fred Weigel]

Love it! Thanks

As to using FILCOM this is derived from PDP/10 TOPS-10 FILCOM
R FILCOM
*=file1,file2

FredW

[Martin]

Ok then :-)

I have posted the few places I found pieces of it.

Btw, one image of the manual at ebay is really useful!
I have not found Appendix G online.

The page documents all the customiziations in later EDIT-80
versions.


Martin

[Martin]

10 years earlier, big iron, and it may have been the first great
software package from MS.

[Fred Weigel]

Martin

The biggest customisation for the CP/M version that I can see is patching 103..105 (hex) This has "MAC" and is the default extension:

>EDIT80
File: HELLO
Editing HELLO.MAC
Version 2.02
- CP/M Version -
44247 Bytes free
*

By patching, you can set the default extension to something else.

Also,

File: HELLO.MAC /SEQ (or /NOSEQ or /BASIC)

pip con:=hello.mac[z] will "de-highbit" the file (if it is saved /SEQ, which is default, unless /BASIC was used for load).


W NEW.MAC /UNSEQ

To save the file un-sequenced, for other editors.

It seems to be a passable implementation of the PDP-10 editor SOS (Son Of Stopgap).

[Martin]

Am 05/17/2020 04:33 AM, Fred Weigel schrieb:
> Martin
>
> The biggest customisation for the CP/M version that I can see is patching 103..105 (hex) This has "MAC" and is the default extension:
>
>> EDIT80
> File: HELLO
> Editing HELLO.MAC
> Version 2.02
> - CP/M Version -
> 44247 Bytes free
> *
>
> By patching, you can set the default extension to something else.
>
> Also,
>
> File: HELLO.MAC /SEQ (or /NOSEQ or /BASIC)
>
> pip con:=hello.mac[z] will "de-highbit" the file (if it is saved /SEQ, which is default, unless /BASIC was used for load).
>
>
> W NEW.MAC /UNSEQ
>
> To save the file un-sequenced, for other editors.
>
> It seems to be a passable implementation of the PDP-10 editor SOS (Son Of Stopgap).
>

Thanks for the hints, how to deal with it.

Interesting, how hard they adhere to the idea of line numbers.
Even a /BASIC switch was invented to keep old habits.

Martin


P.S.:
I have found with VDE 2.67b my editor of all things.
Source code is available, all one ever wants.

[Fred J. Scipione]

[This followup was posted to comp.os.cpm and a copy was sent to the
cited author.]

In article <r9qdac$190a$1...@gioia.aioe.org>, this.is...@so.its.invalid
says...
...(snip)...

>
> Martin
>
>
> P.S.:
> I have found with VDE 2.67b my editor of all things.
> Source code is available, all one ever wants.

Martin,

I have found some sources for earlier versions of VDE, but not 2.67b,
Can you give a URL?

Are the sources in Pascal, or just a disassembly?

Thanks.

[Martin]

Am 05/31/2020 10:30 AM, Fred J. Scipione schrieb:
> [This followup was posted to comp.os.cpm and a copy was sent to the
> cited author.]
>
> In article <r9qdac$190a$1...@gioia.aioe.org>, this.is...@so.its.invalid
> says...

> ....(snip)...

>>
>> Martin
>>
>>
>> P.S.:
>> I have found with VDE 2.67b my editor of all things.
>> Source code is available, all one ever wants.
>
> Martin,
>
> I have found some sources for earlier versions of VDE, but not 2.67b,
> Can you give a URL?
>
> Are the sources in Pascal, or just a disassembly?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>

Neither in Pascal, nor a disassembly.

IMHO, this are the original sources from the author,
(c)1988 Eric Meyer.

VDE 2.67b:
On the CP/M CD-ROM: /ENTERPRS/CPM/UTILS/S/VDE267SC.LBR


Martin

[Fred Weigel]

On Monday, May 11, 2020 at 9:21:12 PM UTC-4, Fred Weigel wrote:

More on Microsoft FILCOM.COM

FILCOM TTY:=FIL.A,FIL.A

compare fil.a to fil.b

/B at end is definitely binary

/C appears to give only first and last change lines
/S may be space/tab compression related.

I guess that Microsoft (back then) was trying to bring as much of TOPS-10 to the 8080 as possible. That is where the development of BASIC was going on.

[Martin]

Not bad, but I would take your guesses with a big grain of salt :-)

Here is the description of FILCOM from the review.

Martin


--------

INTERFACE ACE
JULY 1979

EDIT-80:
Microsoft's System Editor
for CP/M

Review by Alan R. Miller, Software Editor

--------


FILCOM

A separate transient program, FILCOM, is also included
on the EDIT-80 diskette. This utility program can be used to
compare two disk files. The differences, if any can be placed
in a third disk file, or can be sent to the console or line
printer. The program is initiated with the command:

A>FILCOM <CR>

and the response is a prompt of a star, as for EDIT-80. Type
the output file name, an equals sign and the names of the
files to be compared, separated by a comma.

*DIFF.ASC=FILE1.ASM,FILE1.ASM
*TTY:=FILE1,FILE2
*LST:=FILE1,FILE2

Differences for the first example are placed into a file named
DIFF.ASC. The second example sends the differences to the
system console and the third example sends the differences
to the list device.

The comparison is not strictly mechanical, but more like a
human being would do it. When a difference is encountered,
the files are searched for another match. Thus if one file has
an extra line, only that one line will be printed as a difference.
FILCOM will then move past the difference and discover that
the rest of the text matches. Spaces and tabs are not used in
the comparison, since these characters are not usually
meaningful. Also characters following a semi-colon are ig¬
nored, since these are usually comments. Both of these op¬
tions, however, can be changed with switches. Actually,
there are five switches that can be set. These are:

/S spaces and tabs
/C comments after semi-colon
/n number of lines needed for match
/A source compare on REL and COM files
/B compare binary files

If the files being compared are the same, no message is
generated.

[Steven Hirsch]

On 6/2/20 12:56 PM, Martin wrote:

> Here is the description of FILCOM from the review.

Seems like an attempt at diff on CP/M.